


Wilted

by NervousAliceCurious



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Accusations, Change In Plans, Creepy Office, Death Challenge, Gen, Monstrous Ones, Plants, Poisoned Thorns, Sacrifices, Scapegoat, The Lieutenant Is A Secret, evil dolls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 08:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18912841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: After being selected to die, Rosanna finds that her fate is not as inevitable as she once thought.





	Wilted

 

“Rosanna”.

 

 

The blood roared in her ears at Calliope’s announcement.

At the sight of her own happily-smiling face staring back at her from the Tarot card firmly clutched within her hand.

 

“What!?”

 

Matt’s startled shout mingled with Joey’s, while Safiya simply glowered.

 

 

“Who voted for Ro!!?”

 

 

“Guys…it’s okay.

It’s a solo challenge, right?”

 

Before anyone could answer, she bravely raised her fists.

 

“I’ll definitely do it for sure!

So don’t worry about me.

 

I’ve got that fire, remember?”

 

Her brother from another mother looked ready to argue, but she shook her head.

 

 

“It’ll be alright.

…

 

Even if the worst happens…”

 

 

She leaned in close enough that only he could hear what she had to say next:

 

 

“You’ll still have Saf, and Stephanie…and Ollie, too, don’t forget!”

 

He swallowed back his tears.

 

 

“I won’t, but…I’m going to really miss you”.

 

 

She smiled wryly.

 

 

“Me too”.

 

*

 

“This is as far as we go”.

Mortimer stepped back apologetically, while Calliope looked regretfully at the dirt.

 

“See you soon”.

 

“…Yes, child. Of course”.

 

 

Never mind the fact that she probably wouldn’t be leaving the building…

Alive.

 

 

Softly closing the door behind her, the little Jetsetter turned to find herself inside a small office-space.

Somebody had apparently flooded it with plants.

 

There was a giant loudspeaker mounted in the far corner and it crackled to life as she approached:

 

‘…hasn’t worked in years.

That’s odd’.

 

She winced as feedback crackled through the air along with a few dull thumps.

 

‘Huh’.

 

…Minutes passed as whomever was on the other end went back to tinkering with whatever-it-was that sounded like a malfunctioning alarm clock.

 

“Um…excuse me?”

 

The loud clamoring of someone falling out of what she assumed was a chair.

 

‘Wh-? Who-!?’

 

“I’m really sorry to bother you, but are you the lieutenant in charge of…in charge of this death challenge?”

 

‘…’

 

A suspenseful pause.

 

‘What’.

 

“You’re working for the Green-Eyed doll?

…

The one that Arthur threw away, Riley played with, and the Carnival Master handed off to Lucy?”

 

‘…Never heard of her’.

 

“Well…”

 

Rosanna turned this new piece of information over in her mind.

 

“I think she’s heard of _you_.

We nearly got eaten alive by killer plants trying to find your missing passcode?”

 

‘…So you’re the ones who broke into my greenhouse’.

 

“Are you mad?”

 

‘The only thing I’m mad about is the burnt glass’.

 

“Roi says he’s sorry…”

 

‘I wouldn’t know who that is’.

 

“I know, but he still said to tell you anyway”.

 

‘Well that’s very honorable of him’.

 

“-Is there really no death challenge?”

 

‘No.

Why would I set up something like that!?’

 

“Oh, uh…”

 

Their tone carried a healthy amount of offense.

 

“I-I dunno, I just thought-“

 

‘Wait.

Where are you right now?’

 

“In the Ticket Office?”

 

‘Is the monitor still usable?’

 

“Monitor?”

 

Come to think of it, there _was_ a computer perched on top of the highly-cluttered desk…

 

Watching where she was going, the nimble brunette slid between two sturdy palms, and found herself staring straight at a blank screen.

 

She wiggled the mouse slightly.

 

Nothing.

 

Searched for the Power Button…

 

 

“Ah! Here it is…”

 

 

It glowed a metallic-green, before the lights came on.

 

 

“I think I’ve got it now-“

 

She blinked in surprise as an image appeared.

 

The image of whom she assumed was Mx. Speaker-Voice…

 

 

Grass-colored eyes flashed, imposing black markings dripping from the corners.

They looked like they were wearing an over-sized black trench-coat with white buttons, and she noticed that, as they fiddled with some dials on their end with one hand, the other was completely gone at the wrist.

 

Brushing a hank of even darker hair out of their face, she caught a glimpse of an elfin ear-

 

 

‘That’s better.

I won’t feel like I’m talking to a wall anymore’.

 

“Same here”.

 

 

So scary…!

 

 

‘…You’re afraid of me’.

 

“Uh-”

 

‘It’s fine.

Most people are’.

 

“…Why is that?”

 

‘You know why’.

 

He gave her a knowing glance.

 

‘Because I look intimidating’.

 

She blushed.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

‘What are you even doing in here?

You don’t seem like the type to do anything worth killing over’.

 

“I don’t know…I just got voted in”.

 

No.

Actually…

 

The Jetsetter let out a forlorn breath.

 

“It’s because I’m not very useful.

Matt, Safiya, Nikita…

 

They all did more than me”.

 

Heck, even _Teala_ had nearly been killed trying to get those monsters away.

 

 

‘Do you know who did it?’

 

“No…”

 

The way they said that-

 

 

 

“I don’t”.

 

Made her hackles raise.

 

 

“And I don’t want to anyway!

There’s no need to blame anyone for what is most-definitely my fault”.

 

 

‘…I see’.

 

They regarded her with new interest.

 

 

‘You don’t want to have to hate-‘

 

 

“Nope.

Absolutely not!!”

 

‘…’

 

“If you didn’t prepare anything, does this mean that I get to take the key and go?”

 

‘What key?’

 

“Never mind”.

 

Rosanna opened the drawers of the desk, and began to rummage through reams of loose paper, and wads of chewed-up gum.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be around here somewhere”.

 

Jangling metal-

 

‘You mean this key?’

 

There it was, hanging off a ring in their hand.

 

Peridot gleaming front-and-center upon it.

 

 

“Th-that’s it!!”

 

They blinked.

 

‘…It doesn’t work on the locks in this place.

You can have it if you want’.

 

Her eyes lit up.

 

“Really!!?”

 

‘Yes’.

 

“Wow!

I can’t believe it…”

 

She was over the moon with happiness!

 

“Thank you-“

 

The screen abruptly cut out.

 

“…Huh…?”

 

THUD

 

“Ahh-“

 

She landed flat on her keister as the tiny space rocked on impact.

 

A portion of the ceiling had caved-in…

 

 

**THUD!!**

 

*

 

“What’s taking her so long!?” Matt fretted.

“Beats me”. 

 

Safiya was privately wondering if something had gone wrong.

 

“You know what?” Teala shot an accusatory glare towards Joey.

“What I’d like to know is who’s bright idea it was to vote for her anyway!”

 

“Um, excuse you, b*!

Everybody knows that you already knew that we wanted _you_ in her place!

 

How do we know that you didn’t do it to spite the rest of us!?”

 

Teala’s mouth dropped open at Nikita’s out burst.

 

“WHAT!?”

 

“Yeah.

Unless it was Roi who did it”.

 

The Daredevil’s eyes filled with distress.

 

“You think _I_ did this!?”

 

“Why not?” Manny insisted.

“Everybody knows that you and Teala are practically dating as is”.

 

 

J.C. cleared his throat.

 

 

Everybody ignored him.

 

 

“D-Dating!!??”

“So what if we are!?”

 

“So technically…”, Joey was running through the past hour in his head, and what he saw-

“It would make perfect sense if you tried to get rid of Ro in order to protect your sort-of girlfriend”.

 

“No, NO!!”

 

He stood up in horror.

 

“I would never, ever hurt or betray any one of my friends like that!

**EVER!!** ”

 

 

J.C. coughed louder.

 

 

“B*, where’s your proof?”

“Right here”.

 

 

At that point-

 

The Hippie stood up himself.

 

He strode over to the piles of unused tarot cards upon the table, and pulled out two extra.

 

 

The exaggerated mugs of Calliope and Mortimer peered back at them.

 

 

“Whoa, they had their own cards!?”

Roi was flabbergasted.

 

 

“Not _just_ them”.

 

 

He flipped over a previously-unknown **thirteenth**.

 

Matt’s cheeks drained of blood, while Colleen’s filled.

 

 

 

“There’s **him** , too”.

 

*

 

Rosanna gasped as the entire building lurched a second time.

Her side jammed into the sharp edge of a shelf-

 

 

“-Ouch!”

 

A new impact print had formed in the back wall this time.

 

“What’s this!?”

 

The ground leaped beneath her frantically scrabbling feet, and she hit the hard floor nose-first.

 

 

Tasting copper, the Jetsetter gasped at the sudden acute pain.

Hands splayed against the concave impression, she struggled to understand what was going on-

 

 

Maybe that person had created a death trap instead of a challenge—?

 

Wobbling slightly as she pushed herself to her feet, the YouTuber grasped the door handle in a death grip, and **pulled**.

 

 

And **pulled**.

 

And ** _pulled—_**!!

 

 

It wouldn’t open.

 

 

“Oh no-!”

 

There was a whirring noise as an unnoticed camera elevated itself from the leafy foliage of one of the two giant palms.

Unbeknownst to her, she was about to be on film.

 

“Come on-!!”

 

**BANG-**

 

Desperately, she kicked at the stuck piece of architecture!

 

 

“I have to get out of here…I have to find them!!”

 

 

Something slashed through the window glass, spraying her with tiny shards.

“-!!”

 

An engorged, purple vine bedecked with thorns took careful aim at her face.

 

*

 

“Who IS that!?”

Nikita stared threateningly at the picture pasted front-and-center.

 

“Do we know this guy!?”

 

“…You think he owned the greenhouse?” Roi asked guiltily.

 

“Whether he does or not, you’re saying that this man somehow managed to vote for Rosanna when he wasn’t even here?”

 

Safiya’s skepticism barely showed, but…

 

“I know it seems far-fetched”, JC conceded, “But if nobody else did this, then who’s left?”

 

“Mortimer and Calliope?” Joey suggested.

 

“No way!

They _rescued_ us”, Colleen protested.

 

“Uh, guys?”

 

Teala pointed to an old-fashioned T.V. screen folding down from the ceiling.

 

“What is that?!”

 

CLICK

 

_Kr-r-k—l_

 

Staticy snow played across its surface for an instant.

 

Then.

 

 

It shifted.

 

 

 

‘Hello?

Mx. Speaker-Voice!?’

 

 

Everyone’s jaws dropped in pure horror!

 

 

Although the Jetsetter clearly hadn’t seen it yet, all of the potted vegetation had grown ivy-slowly spiraling into holes carefully drilled just under the lips of their fixtures.

As they watched, the plants deepened to black, violet highlights glowing from within like twisted, poisonous veins.

 

“What the truck!?”

 

Rosanna was pinned against the far wall, having had to retreat for her own safety.

 

With a cacophony of thunderous crunches, more and more of the deadly creatures punched holes through the stucco.

Repeated assaults made it sound as if a cascade of _bombs_ had exploded-

 

And made the six sides of the one-room building paper-thin.

 

 

_Kr-r-k—l_

 

 

Staticked-snow again.

 

 

A pair of familiar pale-mint eyes shone smugly back at the other Guests.

 

**“YOU!!”**

 

 

Matt lunged to his feet in rage.

 

 

‘Hello there, all~

Just wanted to let you know that _I’ll_ be taking over for this round’.

 

 

“The very first one?”

Nikita sneered.

 

“Thought the bad guys always waited ‘till the last minute to do their grand-standing”.

 

‘Well…plans change.

And some people are just **unforgivably** unreliable’.

 

 

A smirk over her shoulder.

 

 

At someone they couldn't quite _see_.

 

 

‘So.

With that in mind’.

 

 

“Just get on with it, b*!!”

 

Manny was _this_ close to chucking his lucky lipgloss at that infuriatingly-smug snake-

 

 

‘Okaaaaay~’

 

 

Miss Rosanna is now a sacrificial lamb, and will almost certainly die adorned with a Crown of Thorns.

 

 

 

-Unless someone comes out and decides to take her place, that is…

**Author's Note:**

> 00 Probably the longest thing I've ever written in one shot.
> 
> Will have a sequel...and then we'll see.
> 
> Thanks for reading this strange little snapshot!! ^^
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you liked it.
> 
>  PART 2. (Bloom): https://archiveofourown.org/works/19964686


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